1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for laminating a first and a second sheet.
The present invention further relates to a method for laminating a first and a second sheet.
2. Related Art
Various products are fabricated by sequential addition of components to previously supplied components. An important application area is in the manufacturing of electronic components as a stack of sheets. Such an electronic product comprises for example a first sheet having OLED functionality, a second sheet comprising printed photodiodes and a third sheet comprising driver electronics. Subsequent sheets in the stack have electronic functional areas that in contact with each other perform an electronic function. In the manufacture of such electronic components it is important that mutually subsequent sheets are accurately positioned with respect to each other in order that electronic, optic or fluidic features, such as microfluidic channels in a sheet accurately contact features to cooperate therewith in the subsequent sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,802 provides a laminator which is for registering and laminating one or more web or sheet laminae on a web substrate. Each lamina has defined, successive areas and indicia provided in predetermined positions relative to the defined areas. The laminator includes feed rollers for feeding a web substrate through the laminator along a path of travel, and an additional feed mechanism for feeding a web or sheets to a drum forming a part of the laminator. The drum is shiftable toward and away from the web substrate between an engaged position in which the drum engages the substrate, and a disengaged position in which the drum is removed from contact with the substrate. A registration system successively registers the web or each sheet on the drum with the substrate, with the defined area of the web or sheet in a desired predetermined relationship to one of the defined areas of the substrate as successive defined areas are brought into a laminating position. The registration system includes a sensing mechanism for sensing the relative positions of the indicia on the web or sheet and the substrate, and a motor is provided for rotating the drum relative to the substrate in the disengaged position of the drum to adjust the relative positions of the web or sheet and the substrate so that each defined area of the web or sheet is in the desired predetermined relationship to one of the defined areas of the substrate. The drum is shifted to the engaged position and rotated when the web or sheet on the drum is registered with the substrate to laminate the web or sheet on the substrate.